The Montreal Canadiens clinched the Northeast Division with a win over the sliding Ottawa Senators. They are currently tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for first overall in the East.
The Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 to move into a tie atop the Southeast Division. Alex Ovechkin scored another goal to bring his season total to 63. The Hurricanes still lead the Division because of a tie-breaker.
The New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders in overtime to keep alive in the fight for the Atlantic title with Pittsburgh.
And the Buffalo Sabres kept their slim chances alive with a shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators battled back from a 3-goal first period deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in OT. Neither starting goalie completed the game as Preds goalie Dan Ellis got pulled after allowing three quick scores and Manny Legace left after the first period with a hip flexor injury.
The Calgary Flames eliminated the Oilers from playoff contention with a 3-2 victory and the Colorado Avalanche came back from two down to beat the Canucks 4-2. Peter Forsberg scored his first goal since signing with the Avs right before the trade deadline.
Teams that have now secured a playoff berth: Montreal, Pittsburgh, NJ, Detroit, San Jose, Minnesota, defending champion Anaheim, the Dallas Stars and Colorado.
April 2, 2008 at 12:03 am
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